1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a printing method, a printing apparatus, and a printing system. Particularly, the present invention relates to a printing method, a multi-function printing apparatus, and a printing system applied to printing on disk media in a multifunctional peripheral, such as a multi-function printer, in which a printer function, a copying function, and the like, are integrated.
2. Description of the Related Art
At present, a multi-function printer has been proposed, which is built by structurally integrating a flatbed scanner, a memory card reader, an external connection terminal, and a printer unit for discharging small ink droplets, to execute printing with high quality, on the order of that of a photograph. For example, the multi-function printer can copy and print a photo image in a memory card, without connecting the printer to a personal computer, or the like. The multi-function printer is also called an MFP, and various models are commercially available. To the contrary, a printer having a function of only printing image data input from an external device on a medium is also called a single-function printer (SFP).
Currently available SFPs and MFPs can print an image on a disk medium, such as a CD or a DVD, by using a special tray. The MFP can use a scanner unit to scan an image of a disk medium, and can use the special tray and printer section to copy labels between disk media. A commercially viable SFP, flatbed scanner, and personal computer are also available to copy the labels between disk media.
The disk medium will be explained.
FIGS. 14A and 14B re plan views of two types of inkjet printing disk media.
A conventional inkjet printing disk medium 1401 generally has a white label with a regular-size printable area, as shown in FIG. 14A. These days, various disk media have come onto the market, including a disk medium having a glossy surface, a colored disk medium, and a disk medium having a wider printable area (label), such as a disk medium 1402 shown in FIG. 14B.
The disk medium is circular, unlike a print medium, such as a normal print sheet, so the printable area (label) of a disk medium must be detected in printing. As a conventional method of detecting the printable area (label) of a disk medium, a carriage to which a printhead is mounted with a reflection optical sensor, and a special tray, are used. According to this method, the reflection optical sensor reads a plurality of highly reflective sheets adhered to the special tray, to locate the position of a disk medium and to execute printing.
In other words, the medium position is determined by reading the positions of reflection sheets, on the basis of the fact that the media mounting portion on the tray is determined in advance, instead of reading the disk medium itself For example, Japanese Patent Publication Laid-Open No. 2004-42372 discloses the above conventional art.
However, the conventional art does not directly detect the printable area (label) of a disk medium. Also, the conventional art cannot detect a difference in printable area or glossiness, and cannot accurately detect a printable area (label) having a different glossiness. Thus, the conventional art cannot cope with various types of disk media on the market. It is, therefore, desirable to process scanned image data into the medium shape and to print, so that wasteful ink consumption can be reduced. This process also can solve a problem of printing outside the printable area.